Yukio Mishima

Yukio Mishima, the pseudonym used by Kimitake Hiraoka, was one of Japan's greatest novelists and playwrights and perhaps the Japanese author most read by Western readers. In his lifetime he produced over 100 works, including novels, short stories, plays, literary essays, and screenplays. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize three times. His works deal with themes such as death, the spiritual barrenness and meaninglessness of contemporary life, sexuality, cultural norms and changes, and...

Yukio Mishima Essays

Nihilism plays a dominant role in both Lermontov’s A Hero of Our Time and Mishima’s The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea. Both novels target a particular character to be made an example, but the circumstances of this undertaking are notably...

The Sound of Waves develops one of its central themes through Mishima’s examination of the motif of strength of character. The novel portrays strength as a fundamental characteristic that dictates human behavior and the journey to self knowledge....

In The Sound of Waves, Yukio Mishima conveys the loss of traditional values in Japan due to Westernization in after the Second World War. Through powerful symbols and juxtaposition, Mishima effectively expresses his anger towards the devastating...